Plus more news and notes from the world of wine and spirits.

By Andrew Hoover

Domaine Clarence Dillon, which includes Bordeaux first-growth Château Haut-Brion, has acquired Domaine Allary Haut-Brion, a 3.3-acre parcel that borders Haut-Brion. The domaine had been owned by the Allary family since 1919. While the purchase price was not divulged, the land was appraised and valued at approximately $1.4 million in March 2008.

The Beaujolais Nouveau season that kicked off on Thursday, November 15 marked the 30th year since Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits began importing Georges Duboeuf’s Beaujolais Nouveau into the United States. Since 1982, Duboeuf has increased its U.S. distribution from a couple of hundred cases to more than 150,000 cases per year. Currently, Duboeuf’s bottlings amount to approximately 75%–80% of the Beaujolais Nouveau market share in the States; it also accounts for nearly one-third of the brand’s total annual volume in the U.S. Read the complete story.

Bill Foley, founder of Foley Family Wines, has purchased Lancaster Estate in California’s Alexander Valley. The sale is said to include the winery, 42 acres of vineyards as well as Lancaster’s sister brand, Roth. Lancaster produces approximately 12,000 cases of wine per year, while Roth makes roughly 35,000 cases using grapes sourced from both the Alexander Valley and the Sonoma Coast.

DeLeόn Tequila has announced its new ultraluxe bottling, Leόna, which will be available in the United States starting December 21. Made from 100% blue weber agave and aged for 34 months in Sauternes barrels, Leόna will come packaged in a limited-edition black box with a python flask. Only 5,000 bottles will be available across the States, with a price tag of $825/750 ml.

The Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams, has revealed the 10th anniversary batch of Samuel Adams Utopias, a top-shelf, 29%-abv, barrel-matured brew. Utopias is a blend of beers, some of which have aged for nearly 20 years in single-use Bourbon casks that are sourced from Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace Distillery. The 10th edition has also spent time aging in tawny Port and ruby Port casks as well as rum barrels from Nicaragua. The product started hitting shelves last week, with less than 15,000 bottles available. Packaged in a black decanter that’s inspired by the shape of a brew kettle, Utopias will retail for $190/24 oz.

California’s Jackson Family Wines has announced plans to purchase the Russian River Valley ranch that’s owned by Saralee and Richard Kunde, a 260-acre parcel that includes Saralee’s Vineyard and Richard’s Grove. More than 50 clonal selections of grapes are found within the site and are sold to 45 wineries. The sale is expected to be finalized in early December; the financial terms were not disclosed.